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Salem College’s Adult Education Program Announces New Dean

The Martha H. Fleer Center for Adult Education at Salem College has announced that Dr. Sydney Richardson will fill the position of Dean, effective January 1, 2015.

Richardson has been a member of the Salem College faculty since 2007. She has served as the director of the Writing Center and as an instructor for multiple programs, including College Writing, Salem Signature, Education, English, and Women’s Studies. She currently serves as an assistant professor of education and the director of the Writing Center.

“When I reflect on my career in academia, I realize that working with adult students has been part of my journey since I began teaching. From the first adult learner in my classroom to working in academic support, I have been fascinated by the educational process of adult learners. More importantly, I’ve benefited from seeing how adult learners apply their everyday experiences to enhance their college experience,” says Richardson.

Richardson holds a BA in political science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), a MA in English from North Carolina A&T, and a PhD in education studies from UNCG, where her dissertation focused on adult women learners. She has earned certificates in women’s and gender studies from UNCG and in teaching English as a second language to adults from Walden University. She has published and presented professionally on the topics of adult learners and writing center direction.

The Martha H. Fleer Center for Adult Education offers undergraduate degrees for women and men, 23 years of age and older. Salem’s continuing education program began in the early 1980s and was renamed for its founder in 2008.